Can a business model energise the church?
There seems to be a trend which is based on a simplistic and perhaps a dangerous read across from the church to business. In this trend a diocese seems to be developing into a franchise. As such it is the source of a slogan or motto with attendant plan usually produced by an A-team of the bishop and clergy led by one or more archdeacons. Customarily these appointees won’t stretch the episcopal temper or tolerance by unduly questioning the “grand concept”.
In this model, the franchise holders are required to be the rectors and a core of parish faithful who will be introduced to the concept at a series of ecclesiastical Tupperware receptions and then are commissioned or at least encouraged to implement same on their territory.
There is of course the mission logo and the slogan… the marks of diocesan orthodoxy.
Hush please those like the writer who may be somewhat uneasy about selectively adopting models from management or business. Experience shows that the preferred business models have changed in the real world of business before the church recognises or gets round to implementing them. The perhaps more important fact seems to be overlooked that there is a major dichotomy presented in scripture between models of the kingdom of God (the Church?) as presented in scripture and the way the world does business. The church’s methodology is usually presented as being counter-cultural. Martin Luther wrote at length about the two kingdoms whose values would more often be in conflict than aligned.
Since Luther’s time the wider church has not been short of scholars as diverse as Avery S Dulles (an American Jesuit) and Graham Cray (a C of E bishop) who have presented it with biblical and relevant models of church. These include the servant model (a practical working out of the ministry of the suffering servant, and the foot-washing of Jesus), the herald model (the preaching and teaching of the Gospel), fresh expressions of church and so on. The local church engaging with the servant model would be in to emphasising social service and activism. Likewise that adopting the herald model would be an expression of church which prioritised preaching, proclamation and evangelism.
Enabling a parish congregation to review its strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and to agree upon its current model of ministry, let alone the model it would like to become, is a skill, indeed a spirituality, which has not been taught or indeed adequately recognised in Ireland. It is not an exaggeration to state that those individuals within the C of I with recognised study and reputable accreditation in this area of parish analysis and development could be numbered on less than the fingers of one hand.
Setting off to sea without an experienced and qualified navigator is hardly to be recommended. Or as someone who traveled quite a bit by small boat once remarked, its not a good idea for the unsighted to lead the blind.
Houston McKelvey